Which 70-200mm?

[dsiegel5151]

I was in the exact situation that you are in a few years ago. I ended up doing exactly what neuroanatomist suggested. E.g., I went with the 70-200 f/4L non-is and the 85 f/1.8. Couldn

[Baker]

I think every Canon dslr user should have a 85mm1.8 and if you can afford , the 135mm 2.0 is even better.( in terms of IQ,I'm not counting the focal length you may need though).
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I'm leaning towards just getting the 85mm f/1.8 and putting the rest of the money towards my next photography purchase, whether it's a lens or a body.

another thing you may need to think about is that since you will shoot a
lot of sports, you should think about getting a XXD/7D instead. rebels
are very good bodies, but they are too slow for catching the action of
sports.

What body do you think would be the most cost effective choice for me? My T2i is less than a year old and it was a graduation present from my parents so I'm not sure if I will be getting a new body anytime soon but it never hurts to check it out.

[JJphoto]

Baker, I don't have any first hand experience with any XXD body, when I need a faster body, I bought the 7D, it's great for capturing fast moving subjects. but it's more expensive. I don't like to talk about the lenses/bodies that I don't have or used, so if you go with XXD body, I only guess most people will suggest 50D over 60D because it has" microadjustment" and it's cheaper than 60D. a refurbished 50D with kit lens is selling for $899 while the 60D will costs $1100 body only(there is store selling about $70 cheaper though).


anyway I like the way you are thinking now, getting a better body with the 85mm 1.8 to start with is a better idea. I have become a prime guy after used 85mm1.8(I don't mind to use zoom for wide angle though)[]


good luck!

[dsiegel5151]

I

[neuroanatomist]

It's true that in a lot of ways the 7D is a substantial improvement over a T2i (although they use the same image sensor). While I agree that the 7D is a great camera, the 'standard' advice (and it's standard for a good reason!) is to invest in lenses before a body upgrade (or a 2nd body).


Baker - you're considering a 70-200mm and now maybe an 85mm f/1.8. From another post, you have the 18-55mm kit lens, the 55-250mm lens, and the 50mm f/1.8 II. I think you'll be better off with new lenses rather than a new body right now. Bodies are updated frequently - learn on the T2i, and get the latest and greatest body that fits your budget when you decide to upgrade. Lenses, on the other hand, you can keep and use for many years.


Questions for those recommending a 7D upgrade - which will deliver better results for the types of shots Baker is looking to take, a 7D with the 18-55mm kit lens from his T2i, or a T2i with a better lens? With narrow-aperture kit lenses, how easy is it to take good outdoor portraits? For sports shots on a body with fast AF like the 7D or to a lesser extent one of the xxD bodies, can a non-USM lens keep up with the AF speed of the body? I'd guess that the T2i + a better lens would perform better overall, but that's speculation since I've never had a 'kit lens' nor a lens without true USM (when I started with a T1i, I got the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS to go with it, and despite the fact that it's bundled with the 5DII, I don't consider the 24-105mm f/4L a 'kit lens').


--John

[dsiegel5151]

John makes a good point. Get the lenses you need before upgrading a body. While it

[JJphoto]

Questions for those recommending a 7D upgrade

I guess you were asking me since only dsiege5151 and i have mentioned 7D.


No, I didn't recommend 7D, I ,in fact, I would get 50D if I was a student.(I'll sell the T2i)

the 'standard' advice (and it's standard for a good reason!) is to invest in lenses before a body upgrade (or a 2nd body).

T2i is not cheap, a 5D is almost the same price, and if you know where to buy, a new 7D will only cost you about $1400.(out of stock right now, but will be back soon I believe, you could get it for less than $1300 before, man!, I miss bing cash)

For sports shots on a body with fast AF like the 7D or to a lesser extent one of the xxD bodies, can a non-USM lens keep up with the AF speed of the body? I'd guess that the T2i + a better lens would perform better overall, but that's speculation since I've never had a 'kit lens' nor a lens without true USM

the speed of AF and speed of USM are not the only thing, and I think the shutter lag and burst rate are also important for catching a fast moving subjects


just my 2 cents

[neuroanatomist]

the speed of AF and speed of USM are not the only thing, and I think the shutter lag and burst rate are also important for catching a fast moving subjects

JJphoto, I agree! (That's one reason I posed the questions!) I upgraded from a T1i to a 7D - there were several reasons, and one of them was the Rebel's AF system combined with the longer shutter lag making it hard for me to keep up with my toddler once she started running. The 7D is a big improvement. But for me, I already had good lenses (and was fortunate enough to have a bigger budget), so a body upgrade seemed very reasonable. With the tight budget of a college student (even as a grad student, I made less in a month than the current cost of a 70-200mm f/4L IS, and that was before income tax, not to mention the state-mandeted 7.5% retirement fund deduction that was taken out without regard for the fact that if I didn't have enough money for food I wouldn't live to retire...but no, I'm not bitter [:P])...where was I? Oh yes - with $1K to spend for the foreseeable future, lens vs. body would be a difficult decision. Selling the T2i to partially fund a 50D purchase, which would leave enough for the 85mm f/1.8, is definitely something for the OP to consider...

[Gred]

In the debate body vs glass, I would say glass,it

[JJphoto]

With the tight budget of a college student (even as a grad student, I made less in a month than the current cost of a 70-200mm f/4L IS, and that was before income tax, not to mention the state-mandeted 7.5% retirement fund deduction that was taken out without regard for the fact that if I didn't have enough money for food I wouldn't live to retire...but no, I'm not bitter [img]/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img])

Come on John, if you know how poor I was when I was in medical school in China, you probably would not "complain" that much! maybe that's why I'm so cheap now , just can't help[]